Calgary Zoo blames death of otter on ‘unauthorized’ pair of pants

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

From Calgary Zoo

Calgary Zoo blames death of otter on ‘unauthorized’ pair of pants

From Calgary Zoo

Two Calgary Zoo staff members have been disciplined after an investigation found an otter died after becoming entangled in a pair of pants that had been dropped in its enclosure.

Logan, a 12-year-old North American river otter, was seen struggling to swim in the Canadian Wilds habitat.

A zookeeper jumped in to aid the distressed animal but despite best attempts, it died.

An autopsy revealed the beloved river otter drowned last week after becoming tangled in the trousers and an internal review has revealed an “unauthorized enrichment item” was given to the otters by a zookeeper.

“This error is simply unacceptable,” says Colleen Baird, Calgary Zoo General Curator. “Our animal care protocols are among the most stringent in the industry and must be followed.

Baird told local media that introducing “enrichment items” that reflect items the animals might come across in the wild is fairly common. However, she reiterated that this particular instance was a breach of the zoo protocols and the staff members have been reprimanded.